Bloomberg Says He Hopes De Blasio Administration 'Even Better'
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Mayor Michael Bloomberg said he hopes mayor-elect Bill de Blasio's administration "is even better'' than his own.
Speaking Friday on his weekly radio show, Bloomberg said he hopes for a "seamless transition.''
"Everybody says, 'Oh, it's going to be a difficult transition.' It isn't,'' Bloomberg said. "He'll take it and hopefully he'll improve on it."
Bloomberg said he will not criticize de Blasio, just as his predecessor, Republican Rudolph Giuliani, refrained from criticizing him.
"I'm sure there were plenty of things I did that (Giuliani) didn't like, that he wanted to stand up there and yell and scream, but he didn't, and I won't,'' the mayor said.
On Wednesday, Bloomberg met privately with de Blasio at City Hall. De Blasio, who frequently criticized Bloomberg during the campaign, thanked the outgoing mayor for his advice.
Bloomberg Friday also touched on other races, including Democrat Terry McAuliffe's victory over Ken Cuccinelli in the Virginia governor's race.
Bloomberg said McAuliffe, a Democrat, "was an unapologetic backer of common-sense gun laws.'' Bloomberg is a longtime gun-control advocate.
Bloomberg said he spent money on the Virginia race to make sure everyone knew McAuliffe's position on guns.
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